The show takes place on the set of Nothing On, a wild English farce. Noises Off is about what happens backstage during rehearsal and production, a realm more farcical than the farce itself. Noises Off opened on Broadway Dec. 12, 1983 at the Brooks Atkinson with Victor Garber and Paxton Whitehead in lead roles. A film starring Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve and Carol Burnett was made in 1992.